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ATLANTA (AP) — A bond hearing set Friday for a man accused of helping a 24-year-old woman rob jewelry stores across the South has been postponed until next week.
Lewis Jones III was due in a federal courtroom in Atlanta to determine conditions of his detention. Multiple news media report that the hearing was postponed to give his attorney additional time.
Jones, 35, will appear in court Wednesday.
The female suspect, Abigail Lee Kemp, was denied bond during a similar hearing Thursday. A federal judge said she'd be a flight risk if she were released.
Prosecutors say the two made off with an estimated $4.3 million in jewelry from six robberies in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Both were arrested Jan. 8 in Smyrna, an Atlanta suburb.
Prosecutors say cellphone records and tips from the public led to their arrests.
The FBI zeroed in on Kemp after analyzing records from cellphone towers near the robberies, then checking social media and hearing from suspicious friends, court records show.
Kemp told FBI agents that Jones was with her for all the robberies, sometimes coming inside and other times staying outside as a lookout, an FBI special agent wrote in court records.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Roemer said the stolen jewelry has not been recovered.
Kemp and Jones each face a conspiracy charge filed in Florida's Northern District. Both the prosecutor and the judge said it is likely additional charges will be filed in Florida and charges will also be filed in the other states where robberies happened.
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